Introduction

Introduction

Fujifilm has been on fire riding the retro/mirrorless combination. In 2011, the unique Fujifilm X100 combined an APS-C sensor inside a compact, rangefinder-inspired body with a fixed 35mm f/2 lens. It introduced an innovative hybrid viewfinder, which could switch between optical and electronic. Even though the camera had its quirks and was a niche product, it proved to be a hit with photographers and put the company back on the map.

In January of 2012, Fujifilm followed up with the X-Pro1, their first mirrorless system camera with interchangeable lenses. Fujifilm wisely launched the camera with three prime lenses, and introduced another innovation with the camera: the X-Trans sensor, which promised higher image clarity and less image noise.

Attractive as it was, the X-Pro1 had two problems. One was its sluggish autofocus, second was its high asking price. At S$2400 for the body alone, it was the most expensive mirrorless system camera on the market (if you left out the Leica M9). So here comes the X-E1.

The X-E1 is essentially a smaller, concentrated version of the X-Pro1. The main difference is that it loses the optical viewfinder, but keeps an electronic viewfinder (EVF). The EVF hasn't simply been ported over however, it's actually better than the one on the X-Pro1; it's slightly bigger and has a higher resolution. The X-E1 also comes with a built-in flash, which the X-Pro1 lacks. Internally, the X-E1 comes with the same 16MP APS-C X-Trans CMOS sensor and image processing engine as the X-Pro1, which means you should get the same level of image quality as the bigger and more expensive camera in a smaller and slightly less expensive package.

The one question is, did Fujifilm fix the sluggish auto-focus (AF) that plagued the X-Pro1? Fujifilm says it has overhauled their AF system to be better in the X-E1 (and also for the X-Pro1, but available as a firmware update). On paper, the X-E1 looks like solid value for money, but everything boils down to its performance in the real world and that's what we intend to find out in this review.